Castle Of Glass
by BleachChancellar
Summary: "Take me down to the river bend. Take me down to the fighting end. Wash the poison from off my skin. Show me how to be whole again." Byakuya Kuchiki, the stoic noble of the Gotei 13 is about to have his whole world tumble down in front of him. What will happen when a woman from his past returns and changes his future forever?
1. Take ME Down To The River Bend

**Disclaimer: This story is made completely from request from a friend which means the OC, Voltaire, is not mine. I am writing this story for Red Cr0w and I do hope it is to their liking and to everyone else's as well. I do NOT own Bleach or Voltaire.  
**

**Summary:Byakuya Kuchiki, a stoic noble and Captain of the 6th Division, for all important pretenses, holds back any and all objects of his past from anyone. Aside from Hisana, not even Rukia knows about the life he spent with a woman whom claimed his heart for nearly 8 years. Even as he stands alone as the leader of the Kuchiki clan, his heart still aches for the person he truly loved. He is able to keep up this façade until he is sent with a recon team to Zaraki to investigate a sudden surge of reiatsu. When they arrive, what will Byakuya do when he finds the woman who disappeared all those years ago beaten and broken and without any memory of him at all?  
**

* * *

**Castle Of Glass**

**Chapter 1: Take Me Down To The River Bend**

"You have your orders. Dismissed." The head-captain motioned for the lot of captains to leave the room as the meeting ended and he yawned loudly. Kyoraku-sotaicho had become increasingly irritated with the level of duty he had been placed with since he accepted his position as the leader of the Gotei 13 and it was showing. Jyuushiro, who decided to stay behind and walk back to his barracks with his friend, saw how the tears claimed the edges of Shunsui's eyes as a low moan left his mouth.

"Tired?" He smiled at the larger man and approached him.

A hearty grin claim the eye-patched features of the head captain as he rubbed his neck he claimed was 'too sore' and that 'his little Nanao would do good to massage his aching muscles'. This of course earned a whack over the head with her clip board. "Of course. This is too much work for an old man like me!" The two began walking out of the over-sized building with his friend falling behind.

"Now, now. You're only as old as you feel." He patted Shunsui's shoulder.

"Then I'm a couple thousand years older than I really am." A sheepish laugh left Jyuushiro's throat.

"Ah well, what can you do?"

* * *

Later the day, Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of the 6th Division, sat at his desk signing off on paperwork his vice-captain had finished early in the day. He nonchalantly shifted through the completed papers before straightening them up and lightly patting them against the wood to align them with one another. Sighing contently as he panned over the clear desk and the stack in the outbox, he rubbed his eyes.

"Finally..." He whispered to himself before standing. Byakuya had spent the entire day brushing his signature across the papers in hopes of completing any and all other engagements before leaving on assignment given by the head captain. Earlier in the day, Shunsui had briefed him and all the other captains on an unusual amount of reiatsu present in Zaraki. He, being as cautious as possible, requested a recon team to investigate which included Byakuya, his vice-captain, Captain Muguruma and his co-lieutenants, and the third and fourth seat of 9th.

Byakuya pondered over the possibilities of the increase of spiritual pressure while his made his way out of his barracks and back to the Kuchiki manor. He thought there could be a rogue group of soul reapers planning on an uprising or even a soul who was unable to control their own abilities.

Byakuya reached the gate of his manor, was greeted by the guards upon his return and slipped through the back halls of the mansion in hopes of avoiding any unwanted conversations with his servants or the elders who had decided to stop by today of all days. After years of running through the halls and hiding from the noble assistants when he was a child, he had learned a few ways to travel unnoticed.

This man, who stood proud and stoic, led the Kuchiki clan as the 28th head. He was given his title after the departure of his grandfather, Ginrei, to the spirit realm. Not long after he was given this position, he was prompted to take over the 6th division where he adopted his icy visage. He made a note never to show any emotion just as his grandfather had taught him. The words he had spoken to the younger man always flooded his mind whenever his heart threatened to overthrow his bold façade: _"You must not show any emotion. Letting your heart control what you do is the body's and mind's surrender to it." _

This phrase was what governed how he acted around people even those close to him. He can't even remember removing this mask even when he was alone with Hisana. He never let his guard down and nothing would change that. Or so he thought. Long before he met Hisana, he was a young man who had recently accepted the titles passed down to him, he met a woman who stole his heart the moment he spotted her. She stood next to Head-Captain Yamamoto during a captain's meeting with a blank face as he introduced her. He was flabbergasted at the unkempt sight of her and even though he had seen her as a rustic, unruly girl, she was slowly entrapping him. The more he looked at her, the more he found himself...amazed by her.

Byakuya shook his head lightly to rid his mind of the thoughts that claimed it. He shifted though the halls and open rooms littered throughout the manor, running past the sight of any and all the people who invaded his property

He finally arrived at his room and, removing his scarf and kenseiken, he entered the decorated area, his mind lulling over the memory of the woman. He loathed how the interior decorators had mixed the warm and dull colors with the bright and flashy colors when they created the wall tapestries, drapes over the french glass doors that opened to the garden and the painted shoji doors that open to other parts of the mansion._ 'Disgusting...'_ He thought as he glared at the deplorable appearance. He may be a guy but he had a sense of fashion if the way he wore his clothes and hair were any indication.

Before he turned in for the night, he flipped through the ancient scriptures he held on the bedside table. There was a quiet whisper outside his door and just before he was able to react, Torio, his longtime servant entered the room.

"Good evening, my lord." The old, frail looking man dressed in traditional Kuchiki clothing bowed to the leader of the Kuchiki clan.

"What is it, Torio?" Byakuya had sat on the edge of the bed with his elbows resting on his thighs. He had long since removed his shinigami uniform and dressed himself in a white yukata that ended at the bottom of his knees with a black obi. "Is this important? I require sleep and I do not wish to be bothered unless it is an emergency that cannot wait until morning." He was extremely tired and having an unnecessary conversation wouldn't assist in his already exhausted feeling.

"Forgive me, my liege. This is a very important matter. The elders and I have been informed of your assignment to Zaraki and wish that you would take some of the guards here to protect you."

"You said this was important." Byakuya lowered and rubbed his bloodshot orbs languidly.

"Your safety is important, my lord. We cannot have a damaged leader who is unab-"

"You have no faith in my own ability to protect myself?" His cold glare bore through Torio's soul.

"It is not that, my lord. I only wish to ensure your safety-"

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Even if I am not able to do so, I have another captain, three lieutenants and two lower ranked officers accompanying me on this mission. If they are inadequate with accomplishing what I could not, they wouldn't be chosen to do it." He held the icy visage.

"Y-yes. Of course. Forgive my intrusion." Torio turned to leave before hearing a faint statement leave his master's mouth.

"I understand your feelings, Torio. But you needn't worry. It is a routine assignment and I am certain there will be no issues." Byakuya motioned for him to leave.

Torio continued his departure with a small appreciative smile. Byakuya had finally gotten to retire for the night and before snuggling up into his sheets, he silently wished his late wife sweet dreams.

* * *

The next day, Byakuya had already left the manor, arrived at the Seireitei and was waiting at the gates for the members of his recon team. Standing with his hands at him sides, kenseiken and scarf in place and eyes closed, Byakuya turned to see the second in command of his division accompanied by the captain of the 9th and his subordinates.

Realizing the presence of his leader, Renji sped up to reach him. "How long have you been here captain?" He peered down at the shorter man who briefly looked his way before greeting the other officers.

"Not long. I like to arrive early to as not to be late. Punctuality is a virtue, Abarai." He shot an icy glare to the tattooed man sending a terrified shiver down his spine.

"Y-yes, sir." Renji hesitantly shook his head.

"Shall we go? I wanna get this over with. Bunch of unnecessary crap, if you ask me." Kensei had voiced his opinion loudly, earning nods from his male lieutenant who was desperately trying to peel the female lieutenant who had leeched on to his arm off. The lot of them departed, heading towards the subject of their investigation.

They reached the district notorious for the blood bath that occurred on a near daily basis. Walking through the desolate streets, an open field claimed the end of the village. Everyone halted as the unusual patch of greener grass and lush landscape flooded their senses.

"What the hell?" Renji blurted, seeing the small river in the distance. "How the hell did this happen?"

"This is the place where the increase in reiatsu was detected right?" Shuuhei knelt to feel the grass beneath his feet, noting the unnatural texture of it. "It feels grainy. Like it was molded from sand or ash or something." He rubbed a blade between his thumb and forefinger.

"What's so wrong with there being a bunch of grass and tress and stuff?!" Mashiro squealed. "I don't get it! Kensei!" She yelled at her captain.

"Shut it, Mashiro!" He barked. "Hisagi! Take the third and fourth seat and spread out! Report back here in fifteen!" A positive nod from the scarred man prompted him to look back at his fellow captain whom had traveled down to the river, his vice-captain following close behind.

"Oi! Kuchiki!" He called out earning the younger man's attention. "Find something?" He approached the two officers.

"No. Other than the unusual feeling in the air, nothing is presently causing it. There doesn't seem to be an origin." Byakuya narrowed his eyes as he panned over the narrow waterway. He stopped abruptly when he spotted a black lump on the ground beside the reef. "What is that?" He pointed over to the mound guiding the eyes of the two officers who stood next to him to it.

"I don't know." The three of them approached it.

Byakuya froze in place when the mound faded into the form of a body. A woman with black tattered fabric covering only her chest, midsection and barely coated the lower region of her body leaving only the outer portion of her lower cheeks and legs visible lay on the ground on the edge of the river was unconscious.

"It's a woman!" Renji blurted, darting over to her with Kensei falling behind him.

Just as Byakuya was about to follow suite, he spotted the tattoo that decorated the woman's pale thigh. The deep green Chinese luck dragon that filled the length of her upper leg forced a memory in Byakuya's mind to flash before his eyes.

_"Why do you have that?" Byakuya pointed to the ink on a woman's leg._

_"Oh this?" Her hand glided across the winged creature. "I got it when I was younger. I was pretty superstitious back then and I needed the luck." Her full, dark lips let a light laugh pass them._

_"What did you need luck for?" He questioned._

_"You don't wanna know. Besides," She suddenly stood straight up, startling the man in front of her. "There's much more to see than that old thing." She lunged at Byakuya after removing the top portion of her kosode revealing the plump flesh that rest beneath it.  
_

_"Voltaire!"_

"V-Voltaire...?!"


	2. Take Me Down To The Fighting End

**Disclaimer: This story is made completely from request from a friend which means the OC, Voltaire, is not mine. I am writing this story for Red Cr0w and I do hope it is to their liking and to everyone else's as well. I do NOT own Bleach or Voltaire.  
**

**Summary:Byakuya Kuchiki, a stoic noble and Captain of the 6th Division, for all important pretenses, holds back any and all objects of his past from anyone. Aside from Hisana, not even Rukia knows about the life he spent with a woman whom claimed his heart for nearly 8 years. Even as he stands alone as the leader of the Kuchiki clan, his heart still aches for the person he truly loved. He is able to keep up this façade until he is sent with a recon team to Zaraki to investigate a sudden surge of reiatsu. When they arrive, what will Byakuya do when he finds the woman who disappeared all those years ago beaten and broken and without any memory of him at all?  
**

* * *

**Castle Of Glass**

**Chapter 2: Take Me Down To The Fighting End  
**

"Unohana-taicho, any news on our guest?" Kyoraku-sotaicho raised his umbrella hat from his head and turned to the 4th Division captain.

The recon team had long since returned from their assignment and the debriefing had begun only moments ago. Byakuya, who had been spacing out since before he came back, stood in his usual position with knitted brows and a confused expression. He had only heard bits an pieces of what the head-captain was saying seeing as he was in his own little world. The captains that stood on either side of the man noted his behaviour but disregarded it when the first Kenpachi started.

"It would seem she is in no real danger. She was in surprisingly good shape when Lieutenant Abarai and the others found her." She turned to the captain of the 6th. "Kuchiki-taicho," He jolted out of his thoughts. "and Muguruma-taicho brought her back here. She didn't speak to you during that time, did she?"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes and gave a negative nod. "The woman was unconscious when we discovered her. She spoke of nothing." He closed his eyes hoping to hide his frustration.

Unohana raised a brow at the younger man. "Something wrong, Captain?"

"N-not at all." No one had ever heard the man stutter before and it certainly caught everyone's attention. They all turned towards the man whom was flabbergasted at himself for such struggle to say only a few words.

"The hell's wrong with you, Kuchiki?!" Kenpachi barked.

"I'm fine." He replied all too shakily.

"Hmm." The hairy head-captain scratched his chin. "It seems you have a lot on your mind, Captain Kuchiki. For now, everyone is dismissed. I trust you'll be able to deliver a report next time, yes?" Kyoraku repositioned his umbrella hat on his head and motioned for the officers to leave.

"Byakuya, hold on a moment." The noble stopped in his tracks. Turning to the older gentleman accompanied by Unohana and Ukitake, Byakuya looked at him expectantly.

"Something you need?" He was facing Shunsui and the others directly while they passed understanding looks to one another. "What is it?"

"We know who the woman is, and so do you." Shunsui spoke plainly. Byakuya's eyes widened subtly before he shut them. "It looks like the little lady has returned to you." He brought a hand to his straw hat and smiled. "She just couldn't stay away, could she?" A small, combined chuckle erupted behind Shunsui.

"If that really is her, Byakuya, we have to find out what happened." Ukitake took a solemn look as he peered at the stoic noble. "We have to find out why she disappeared and why she woke up where she did."

"Yes." Retsu chimed in. "Her desertion left many que-"

"It wasn't a desertion!" Byakuya startled everyone including himself with his outburst. The anger and frustration twisted in his words calmed when he continued "She...she didn't desert her post. She...was..." Byakuya's voice got softer.

"Now, now, no need to get so riled up." He waved his hand nonchalantly. "Like Jyuu said, we need to find out why this happened and standing around here speculating isn't going to get us anywhere." He started out the tall oak doors that opened to the dirt path just outside the Captains' Meeting Room. "Let's go. I'd like to speak to her myself when she wakes up but, it would bode well if yours is the first face she saw, Byakuya."

"Yes, sir." Byakuya nodded and reclaimed his emotionless façade as he and the other two captains fell behind their leader.

* * *

The Captain-Commander, Unohana and Ukitake stood outside the wooden shoji doors that led to the hospital bed where the woman in question was resting. They awaited a signal from the raven haired noble to enter the room as they took into consideration the amount of fear and confusion the woman may feel when she wakes.

"This is truly astounding." Ukitake commented, peering through the small crack in the doors. He observed the man who sat in a hand-woven chair next to the bed as he placed his pale palm over the deep white one left out from under the blanket covering the sleeping figure. "He seems to still care deeply for her. He looks so worried."

"Of course." Shunsui, who was loeaning against the wall with his arms tied across his chest, caught the white-haired captain's attention. "Those two shared quite the bond before she left." He gazed up at the ceiling as a memory flashed before his eyes. "I remember the way she brought out the side of Byakuya only a few ever got to see. I don't even think he let his late wife see what he let her see. They were inseparable." Shunsui chuckled lightly at the thought.

"He loved her very much. He still does now but..." Unohana solemnly stared at the doors as if she could see through them. "It is a difficult situation."

"Hai. Let's not worry about that right now, though. We have to see how things pan out from here on. Who knows what'll happen, ya know?" Shunsui replied with a smile.

"Yes, sir." Unohana returned the grin.

"Hey, you guys, look." He waved to them to get their attention as he looked through the sliver again making the two friends join in his peeping.

What they all witnessed was the once put-together, stoic, bold, icy noble stand over the slumbering figure and place a kiss on her forehead. They were all fighting back an loudly audible 'awwww' at the sight with only the fact of certain consequences of getting caught keeping them from it. The young captain returned to his spot on his seat gazing down at the fair cpmplected form. 'Her hair is still so vibrantly red...' He thought, taking in the sight that was the woman that lay before him. He flinched when the woman groaned.

"She's waking up, I think..." Ukitake whispered.

Another groan and knitting of brows led to the revealing of boldly emerald-green eyes behind pale red eyelashes. She blinked a few times before glancing through her deep red, near flame-like locks at the pure white, flower patterned ceiling. She softened her gaze as a breathy sigh escaped her full lips. She jumped nearly ten feet when she heard a deep voice next to her.

"You're awake?"

"Holy shit!" She sat straight up in the bed with her arms stretched out dramatically as she glared at the owner of the sultry-like vocals. She lowered her thin limbs, straightening the fabric that lay around them and revealing the large scar residing on her nose that stretched to the edges of her high but flattering cheek bones, as she took a few moments to take in all that was the man who sat next to her temporary bed.

_'He's cute...'_ She thought to herself as a skeptical look painted her pale features.

He smiled warmly at her, earning the blush that matched her cherry hair. A light chuckle left his thin lips as he pulled his hand that previously rested on hers and reached for her face. She flinched lightly when his surprisingly tepid caressed her flushed cheek.

"Voltaire..." He held his palm on her rosy cheek until she pushed it away.

"What did you call me?" His brows furrowed at her words. "My name's V. Who are you, anyway?" She glared sternly at the misuse of her name. She raised a brow at the man's reaction.

"You don't know me?" He choked on the question left his mouth. "It's me. Byakuya." He sounded as if he was pleading for her to call his name.

"Byakuya? I don't know a Byakuya..." She turned her head towards the door with the sudden presence of three more people entering the room.

Byakuya, who held a confused and pained look, also turned to the new members.

"Captain Kuchiki, if you would give us a moment." Unohana spoke first.

He took a second to catch his breath at the preceding events before speaking. "R-right." He stood and uncharacteristically scurried out of sight, holding his head low.

All three officers watched the man leave and gave one another understanding looks. "Miss," Unohana smiled down at the girl who called herself V.

"V. My name is V." She corrected, shooting a glare at the woman. Did these people not pay attention?

"V, then. Would you mind if I examined you?" She carried her trademark smile with an underlying tone of demand, creeping 'V' out.

"N-not a problem. You're a doctor right?" She pulled her legs from under the blanket to the side of the bed ready to stand only to be stopped before she pushed herself off.

"Stay there." A confirming nod gave Unohana the permission she needed to retrieve tools to assist her. When the older woman left the room, Shunsui and Ukitake introduced themselves.

"Hello, there." The larger man spoke first. "I'm Shunsui Kyoraku, Head-Captain of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the 1st Division. Pleasure to meet you." He gave her a warm smile as he held out his hand expectantly.

She hesitantly took it and shook it lightly before retreating. "Who're you?" She shifted her skeptical gaze to the white-haired man who stood next to the 'Head-Captain'.

"Jyuushiro Ukitake," He waved at V. "Captain of the 13th Division. Nice to meet you."

She nodded in approval at the two men. They seemed pleasant enough. Didn't look like bloodthirsty killers or that they had ulterior motives. Top of the list as potential friends. That lady who was there earlier though, creepy. Bottom of the list.

The woman in question entered the room once more this time with a small case of materials in her hands. She placed the container on a small table that lay next to the bed before speaking.

"Retsu Unohana, Captain of the 4th Division." She bowed to V who had shifted under her freaky gaze revealing the top of her right thigh through the slit in her white kosode provided when she arrived at Unohana's barracks.

"Your name's Retsu?" V asked.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"No reason, you just...don't seem like a Retsu. You're more of a Yachiru than a Retsu, I think." The healer's eyes widened slightly before a small trail of ink that led behind V's leg caught her attention.

"What's that, if you don't mind me asking?" She pointed to her line of sight guiding V's eyes to it.

"Oh that?" She lifted her leg slightly to reveal more of the black marks. "It's kanji for someone's name. I can't really understand it, though. I'm not all that good at reading kanji." She rested her leg back on the mattress.

"Why do you have it then?" Ukitake blurted.

"Oh well...I don't really remember when I got it. It was before I went to Fugai." She recollected.

"Fugai? The district in Rukongai?" Ukitake asked.

"Hai." She nodded. "I was found there by some soul reaper, like you guys. He had glasses and brown hair...what was his name?" She raised her hand to her chin and thought as everyone's eyes widened.

"...Aizen?" Shunsui provided.

"Yeah!" She raised a brow at their angered eyes and questioned it mentally. _'Something wrong?'_ She brushed it off when Unohana started asking questions.

"How do you feel?" The dark-haired Kenpachi began her examination after motioning for the two fellow captains to have a seat at the other end of the room.

"Huh? Oh. I feel fine." She held no expression as the questions continued.

"Any dizziness or lightheadedness?" Unohana placed her hands on either side of V's face and titled it forward to analyze the top of her head for any exterior wounds she may have over looked.

"Nope." V's eyebrows knitted together as her extremity was turned to either side. _'What is she looking for?'_

"Any pain or discomfort?"

"No."

"How about your stomach? No pain or nausea?"

"None."

"And your arms and legs?"

"They're a little numb."

"Oh?" Unohana pressed on the limbs with little force. "Do you feel that?" She traveled up and down the extremities applying pressure to the areas.

"Yeah, I can feel it. I just mean it was a little numb from where I was sleeping so long. How long was I out anyway?" She questioned, lowering her arms.

"About a day and a half." Unohana turned to the basket she carried her materials in and rummaged through it.

"Ummm, excuse me, Unohana-taicho?" She caught the older woman's attention who turned back to her holding a full syringe.

"Yes?" She pushed the sleeve of V's up and removed a small alcohol tab from its packaging before rubbing V's upper bicep and raising the needle to the sterilized area.

"What is that?"

"It's just saline. I'm not giving you this intravenously because your veins are quite skilled concealers." Unohana smiled at her own humor.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Now then," She removed the needle and disposed of it before asking another question. "I'm curious. What were you talking about when you spoke of Fugai and the brown-haired shinigami who found you?"

She rubbed the spot where the needle had plunged and pulled her sleeve back down. "About 10 or 15 years ago, I was found in Fugai by that guy, Aizen. He saw me on the ground and brought me to Junrinan*. He said I'd live an easier life there and that the people of that district would help me."

"But, Captain Kuchiki and Muguruma found you..." Unohana listened intently

"Yeah, I enjoyed it there but it was too laid back for me. That's how I got to Zaraki. I started traveling and found my way there. I got attacked by a group of thugs but I blacked out when one of them hit me. I don't really know what happened. Next thing I knew, I was here. Any time before the soul reaper took me to Junrinan I don't really remember. Dunno why, just can't" She recalled the face of the man who sat next to her. 'His smile was so nice...' She recollected Byakuya's expression.

"Umm..."

"What is it?"

"That man, who was in here earlier, who was that?" She blushed lightly when his voice repeated in her head.

A smile dance across Shunsui's lips when he heard her speak. "His name's Byakuya Kuchiki. He's the captain of the 6th Division and the current head of the Kuchiki clan." He stood and made his way back to the two women.

"Are you serious?!" She honestly couldn't comprehend the thought of having the head of one of the four great noble families sitting next to her or even being in the same room as her. "Why was he here?! I could have my head chopped off for being in the presence of someone like him!" She barked at the people who let him in the room.

"Relax. He wouldn't let that happen to you." Ukitake spoke, peaking V's curiosity.

"Why's that?" She knitted her thin, pale red eyebrows again when he and shunsui passed knowing glances at each other. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Another time." He waved nonchalantly. "Right now, I'm curious."

_'Well so am I.'_

"Unohana-taicho, if she were given triggers, certain things that would help her remember, do you think she would be able to recall the time before she was found by Aizen and after she disappeared?" Ukitake and Shunsui stared at the healer expectantly.

"Maybe. But, she is in a slighty compromised state at the moment. It could cause her-"

"WAIT!" V yelled in frustration. "What are you talking about, triggers and memories and shit?! What do you know about me that I don't know about myself?" She glared at the trio waiting for an answer.

They looked at one another once more. "Stop looking at each other at look at me! I wanna know what the hell is going on!" She barked, nose flaring and the comical steam erupted from each ear.

"Well," Shunsui sighed, finally replying to the younger woman. "Before the time that shinigami brought you to the 1st district, you were AWOL from the Seireitei."

"What?!"

"Yes." Ukitake confirmed. "You had disappeared from your post as stand-in Lieutenant of the 13th Division nearly 35 years before you were found in Fugai. It seems, however, that your lack of memory keeps us from discovering why you deserted your post. For now, you will stay here, as a patient in the fourth, until we can recover your memory and maybe...you will not be arrested for the crime you have committed."

"Crime?! I don't even remember being a part of the Gotei 13 let alone leaving without permission! You can't arrest me for something I don't remember doing!" She pleaded.

"That is why we must have your reasoning for leaving." Ukitake replied. "We do not wish to put you in custody, but for now, we will not have to seeing as your a patient. You will have to remain in writing as such until we have what we need. Understand?"

V was speechless. They intended to arrest her? If she had not been found unconscious but awake and responsive, would they have tried to do it before? What were they planing to do to her? And the most agonizing question of all, who the hell was she?


	3. Wash The Poison From Off My Skin

**Disclaimer: This story is made completely from request from a friend which means the OC, Voltaire, is not mine. I am writing this story for Red Cr0w and I do hope it is to their liking and to everyone else's as well. I do NOT own Bleach or Voltaire.  
**

**Summary:Byakuya Kuchiki, a stoic noble and Captain of the 6th Division, for all important pretenses, holds back any and all objects of his past from anyone. Aside from Hisana, not even Rukia knows about the life he spent with a woman whom claimed his heart for nearly 8 years. Even as he stands alone as the leader of the Kuchiki clan, his heart still aches for the person he truly loved. He is able to keep up this façade until he is sent with a recon team to Zaraki to investigate a sudden surge of reiatsu. When they arrive, what will Byakuya do when he finds the woman who disappeared all those years ago beaten and broken and without any memory of him at all?  
**

* * *

**Castle Of Glass**

**Chapter 3: Wash The Poison From Off My Skin  
**

As V lay back on the white sheets covering her hospital bed, her thoughts raced through her head like a cheetah on a treadmill. Out of all the things that flooded her mind, there was three things she was absolutely sure of: One, she was not who she thought she was; Two, the life she lived before she lost her memory was apparently a significant one because the highest ranking officers in Seireitei were pursuing her; And three, that man-that noble who held her hand and smiled her meant something to her...but what?

_'This is all too much...'_ She thought, rubbing her temples in an attempt to contain the raging headache that had accumulated recently upon the discovery of the true reasoning for her rescue.

"Volt-ah, I mean, V." A quite voice caught her attention.

"I forgot your name." She commented, watching the man's snowy locks gently fall from his shoulders to in front of them.

With a light chuckle he introduced himself again. "Jyuushiro Ukitake, Captain of the 13th Division. You forgot it so quickly."

"Sorry. I have a lot on my mind at the moment, Ukitake-san." She tentatively stressed the man's honorific.

"You used to call me Uncle Jyuu. And you called Shunsui 'Oyaji-Shun'." He smiled lightly.

"Gomen. I don't know you all that well. Or rather I don't remember you enough to call you such a name." She knitted her brows together at his politeness.

"Just Jyuushiro, then?" He offered.

"Jyuushiro-san."

"I guessed that'll do." Ukitake sighed at her stubbornness. "Anywho," he peered at her scarred face, "I'd like to talk with you about Byakuya."

"Byakuya? That noble guy who was here before?" She softened her gaze. 'Finally get to find out what the hell was up with that guy.'

"Yes. It would seem you have no recollection of your time together and when I went to speak with him about it, he would share audience with me. He was quite upset with your previous meeting." Ukitake analyzed V's saddened expression and reassured her. "You shouldn't worry. You don't know who he is. It was only natural for you to react that way when he showed you such affection." He placed a hand over hers.

"I...what can you tell me about him?" V lowered her eyes and waited for a response.

"Well, before you disappeared, the two of you were mated souls."

"What?! You can't be serious?!" V nearly fell out of the bed at her conversation partner's words.

"Hai. You two were together for 8 years, and when you two were together for the first time, your souls were connected. Although it took such an action for them to become bonded, you both shared an incredible connection that never needed it. Even if you hadn't became spiritually bonded, I believe your relationship would still have lasted for so long. You loved each other so passionately and when you left, he adopted the icy, stoic visage he holds now. He closed up completely because the woman he had loved for years had seemingly left him behind without notice. He was so damaged by it." Ukitake's tone became sorrowful. "And when you rejected him just a few hours ago, it stirred up those feelings he tried so hard to forget."

"I'm so sorry..." Tears filled the red-head's eyes. "I...I didn't know. I just..." She began to sob, her hands covering her glossy emerald orbs. "I didn't know who he was...please...I w-want to see him...can I see him?" She peeked through her slender extremities at the captain who let a sorrowful expression paint his soft features.

"I don't know if that's such a good id-" He was cut off.

"Please!" The young woman shouted. "I want to apologize for what I did! I need to see him...he didn't deserve what I said. Please..." She pleaded.

Sighing Ukitake complied. "Alright. Ill take you to his manor. But try not to cause a commotion there. It's the home of nobles and you need to show respect to it and its members, understand?" He instructed.

"Yes. I understand. Please, take me there."

* * *

**Karakura Town**

"_III~CHIII~GOOOOOO!_" A shout came from Ichigo Kurosaki's long time friend, Keigo Asano, as he darted down the hallway towards the carrot topped substitute.

A lariat waited for him at his destination along with an angry reply to his song like calling. "I get enough of that crap from my dad. I don't need it from you." He glared at the crouching brunette before headed out of the schoolyard and on to the street that led to Kurosaki Clinic.

"But Ichigo~!" Keigo whined.

"You should stop that." Mizuiro commented, splitting his path with Ichigo and Keigo. "You'll end up with a strained neck." Thumbing the pad of his phone, he waved goodbye to his friends and walked home.

"Well Ichigo, I'll see ya later." Keigo waved, turning on the street that guided his way home.

"Yeah, see ya." He waved back and continued on his path._ 'Today was a long day...'_ He thought, staring up at the sunset that painted the sky beautifully. _'Clubs really get outta hand this time of year...that and I have to go to the Soul Society in a couple of days, too. The old man said there was something he needed to talk to me about.'_

"Ichigo!" A familiar voice drug Ichigo from his thoughts.

"Huh? Renji, what're you doing here?" He stopped to wait for his friend to catch up.

"Hey. Captain Ukitake sent me. He said to tell you you'll have to come sooner than planned." The red-head told of his orders as he motioned for the sun-kissed soul reaper to continue walking.

"Why's that? Something happen?" He questioned. This would really put a damper in his plans if he had to leave.

"Yeah. Turns out when a recon team came back from their assignment, they found a woman in Zaraki District." Renji recalled the strained expression on the 13th captain's face.

"Oh yeah? So why do I have to go?" He scowled. This wasn't a good enough reason to make him leave early.

"Well it was the way they found her." He returned the scowl as if he was saying it wasn't his fault.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He shouted.

"She was found in a desolate, barren district that had no plants, streams or any type of greenery to call for. When her body was discovered, she was surrounded but bushes, trees a river and green grass. She was shrouded in a powerful reiatsu like she was transported there by something, or someone." He looked at Ichigo who now stood wide-eyed. "Yeah, according to Hisagi-senpai, the whole place that she was recovered from was made from something like ash."

"Why was a recon team told to go there anyway?" Ichigo asked, spotting his house in the distance.

"There was a spike of reiatsu. The head-captain sent two captains out to survey the area because it was so significant in power." Renji told him about the odd way his captain was acting when he returned to the barracks and that he had taken personal leave for 4 days.

"Doesn't sound like Byakuya." IChigo got a little worried by that when Renji told him. He walked through the door of his house after telling Renji to meet him in his room.

"Good afternoon, Ichi-nii." Yuzu welcomed her brother.

"Hey." He smiled lightly.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour, okay?"

"Alright. Where's Karin and dad?" He questioned, noting the lack of unnatural welcoming from the goat-face.

"Dad's at a convention and Karin went to visit a friend."

"Huh." With that he went upstairs to continue his conversation with a certain red-headed lieutenant.

"What the hell took you so long?" A crossed arm, slightly irritated man barked.

"I do have a family, ya know." Ichigo scowled at his comrade's idiocy.

"Whatever, like I was saying." Renji straightened up before finishing his thoughts. "The head-captain said he'd like you to help investigate the woman's sudden appearance and the occurrences surrounding it."

"Why me?!" He slomped in his desk chair after laying his bag next to it.

"They think you have an uncanny ability to draw the enemy out if there is one. I mean, you did make Kugo Ginjo come out of hiding, sparked the Bount War and made convinced Muramasa that your powers were enough to set his master free, so...they kinda have a point." Renji teased.

"Dammit! I have stuff to do!"

"Well you'll have to put it off. Sorry." Renji laughed when Ichigo yelled at him for his lack of care for the life Ichigo was living outside of being a Soul Reaper.

"Yeah, right." The defeated shinigami sighed, accepting he'll have to go to Soul Society in the morning. "I guess I'll be at Urahara's in the morning. Now leave, I don't want you attracting any hollows here." Ichigo held his trademark scowl the entire time Renji complained. "Just leave, you big idiot."

"Fine!" Renji 'hmphed' before leaping from Ichigo's window. When he landed on the ground he yelled back up to his friend's room. "Oi, Ichigo!"

"What do you want?!" Ichigo headed to the window and looked out.

"When you get to the Soul Society tomorrow, come to my apartment, alright?! I wanna tell you something important!" The red-head shouted.

"Why can't you tell me now?!"

"Because it's a secret!" He laughed, taking off in the opposite direction.

"What an idiot..." Ichigo replied, backing away from the window and sitting properly on his mattress. He pulled out his phone to cancel the plans he had for the next week, expecting this trip to be a long one. 'What a pain in the ass...'

* * *

Kuchiki Manor, Soul Society

"Alright, we're here." Jyuushiro and V, who was now dressed in a pale, ocean blue kimono with winding vines that held dogwood blossoms, stopped at commanding gates opening up to the Kuchiki Manor. "I'll leave you here to talk to him, but remember what I said." With a nod, opening of the gate and welcoming by Torio, Byakuya's personal assistant, Jyuushiro left V alone to meet with Byakuya.

"Right this way madame." Torio motioned for V to follow him down a labyrinth of hallways until they reached a small section of housing held off from the rest of the mansion. He continued across the open garden and approached a room with shoji screens. Waving nonchalantly for V to join him after spotting her in the middle of the garden admiring the array of botanical beauties, he called out to the lord of the Kuchiki clan.

"Kuchiki-sama, you have a visitor." He spoke lightly.

"If it is either the head-captain or the captain of the 13th, I do not wish to speak with them." A deep voice erupted from behind the flimsy doors.

"It is not, my lord. It is a young woman who wishes to speak with you." A small rustling came from the room before footsteps approached the entrance.

Slowly, the sreens opened up to reveal a yukata'd, kenseiken-less noble. V automatically blushed at the sight of the handsome figure standing before her.

"Um...can we talk?" V's words were weak and slightly cracking as she spoke.

"...what do you want to talk about?" He sounded cold, emotionless.

"About before...in the 4th Division Barracks." Her voice got stronger but still cracked.

He paused for a moment before telling his assistant he required no one to interrupt while this woman is here. I expect these orders to be fulfilled immediately." He gave Torio a knowing glare as the old man nodded, leaving the two alone together.

"You can come inside." Byakuya moved out to the side to allow V access.

"Thank you." She shivered when she passed the taller man, his towering presence slightly overwhelming her.

V took a look around the exceptionally lit room. The large scrolls decorating the walls seemed to suit the room nicely along with the painting of ancient warriors and of past family members. The was a king-size futon at the right corner of the master bedroom and a small section closed off from the rest. V suspected it to be the bathroom but didn't ask. She also noticed the small desk that lay opposite of the bed overflowing with books and papers and ink brushes.

_'This seems so familiar...'_ V thought as she took a seat on a cushion next to a tea-table positioned in the middle of the room. '_But this...wasn't here before.'_ She knew the table wasn't there the last time she was in this room but she couldn't quite fathom how she knew it.

"Something wrong?" Byakuya's commanding tone summoned V from her scattered thoughts.

"Oh! Um...no, nothing's wrong. Actually...I wanted to tell you something..." She lowered her eyes and trailed off.

"If this is about the way you reacted, forget it." Byakuya closed his onyx pearls as V shot a confused look his way. "I understand why you acted the way that you did. You do not know who I am. I understand that the affection I showed was uncalled for and, for that, I do apologize."

"But...no, wait!" V waved negatively. "I cam here to apologize to you! Even if I didn't know who you were, you didn't deserve the way I blew you off, or the way I talked to you! So..." She started to bow. "I'm sorry!" She jerked up when her forehead smacked the table. "Ouch!" V rubbed her sore forehead, noting the amused expression on her companion face.

"Are you alright?" The stoic noble, keeping his icy façade, asked.

"I-I'm fine." V replied, still rubbing the sore spot. She blushed lightly when a small but noticeable smile danced across Byakuya's sharp features.

"I will make some tea." Byakuya went to stand only to be stopped by a firm hold on his wrist.

V had, in one fluid motion, pushed the table out-of-the-way, gripped Byakuya's arm and pulled him back in to a seating position, all the while her eyes stirring from a light, emerald-green to a smoky forest tint.

"V-Voltaire?" He held an incredulous look in his eyes as V's grip tightened. "What are y-"

"I hate it..." A low growl emitted from the young woman.

"What?" Byakuya bent his head slightly to get a better view of V's bowed face.

"I hate it. I don't ever want to see it again. That face..." V lifted her head to meet Byakuya's concerned gaze as she continued. "When I pushed your hand from my face after you called me that name, the face you made was...gut wrenching. I _hated_ it. I know I don't know who you are or what I really mean to you, but no one deserves to be rejected so bluntly. No one deserves to hear the words I spoke to you." V let her hand loosen around the noble slim arm. "When you looked at me so incredulously, so hurt...I felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest. Please, I don't really know what's happening to me, but I want to know why I feel this way when you're around me."

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya stared at the woman who sat before him. What the hell was going on?

"When you looked at me...when I saw you're face for the first time, my heart practically melted. I don't think I've ever had anyone who could make my heart a million miles a minute and stop at the same time. I don't understand why, but when you called me that name...when I heard your voice, something stirred in my chest..." She pulled her free hand up and over her pulmonary cavity. "I don't know for sure, but the way you make me feel, the things you do to make me feel that way and when you call me...Voltaire...I love it. I think, Kuchiki-sama, that I'm in lo-" She was cut off the sudden interruption of Byakuya's personal assistant, Torio, who ripped the shoji screen open and shouted.

"Kuchiki-sama! Seireitei is...the Seireitei is under attack!"

A loud explosion erupted behind the old man and Byakuya released his arm from V's grip. "Voltaire." He spoke just before leaving the room. "We will continue this conversation when I return. Stay here." He bolted in the direction of the explosion, leaving an unbelievably upset woman behind in his wake.

"Byakuya..."

* * *

**I've been out for about two weeks on what you would normally call vacation. But here is the next chapter for this, Red Cr0w. Don't be mad it took so long to update. _REVIEW!_**


	4. Show Me How To Be Whole Again

**Disclaimer: This story is made completely from request from a friend which means the OC, Voltaire, is not mine. I am writing this story for Red Cr0w and I do hope it is to their liking and to everyone else's as well. I do NOT own Bleach or Voltaire.  
**

**Summary:Byakuya Kuchiki, a stoic noble and Captain of the 6th Division, for all important pretenses, holds back any and all objects of his past from anyone. Aside from Hisana, not even Rukia knows about the life he spent with a woman whom claimed his heart for nearly 8 years. Even as he stands alone as the leader of the Kuchiki clan, his heart still aches for the person he truly loved. He is able to keep up this façade until he is sent with a recon team to Zaraki to investigate a sudden surge of reiatsu. When they arrive, what will Byakuya do when he finds the woman who disappeared all those years ago beaten and broken and without any memory of him at all?  
**

* * *

**Castle Of Glass**

**Chapter 4: Show Me How To Be Hole Again  
**

"Kuchiki-taicho!" A red-headed lieutenant ran to his leader.

"What happened?" Byakuya eyed his subordinate expectantly.

"I don't know. Everybody keeps telling me that it was just an explosion from the 12th Division but it wasn't even close to their department." Renji explained.

"It isn't unusual for such occurrences." Captain Kuchiki contemplated. "Abarai, go and investigate the site for any trace of what the Research and Development Institute was working on at the time of the explosion. Report back to me when and if you find anything. Go." He headed in the opposite direction of his vice-captain after Renji traveled to his destination.

"Byakuya!" A familiar voice caught Byakuya's attention before he reached the mass of soul reapers gathered in meeting.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Stopping, he turned to the sun-kissed substitute who ran up to him and frowned. "Your lack of respect is deplorable Kurosaki Ichigo. You may say you are studying for exams in the World of the Living but the fact that you are still so uneducated in manners tells me otherwise." Closing his eyes after Ichigo's eye starting twitch, Byakuya continued on his path to the shinigami group.

"Hey, Byakuya! Wait up!" He caught up to the raven-haired man and joined the many squad members.

Both men were standing in the background as the situation was being discussed amongst the various soldiers.

"So what happened?" A man asked.

"Apparently, an experiment in the Research and Development HQ went awry." Another man explained.

"Yeah, that's what I got from the others who were there when it happened." A woman spoke up.

"Is that your official report?" Byakuya's sudden interruption made the crowded shinigami jerk lightly.

"K-kuchiki-taicho..."

"Yes, sir. We have to gather intel from the captain but that's pretty much the situation here." The first soul reaper to speak told the raven-haired leader.

"I see. I have sent my lieutenant to do such and I will receive his report when he returns. Until such time, gather any and all injured soul reapers and see that their wounds are tended to." Byakuya turned to leave. "Stay out of the rubble as much as possible. We do not yet know the conditions of the explosion site and there could be radioactive material in the area. Stay alert."

"Hai, Kuchiki-taicho!" They bowed and took his orders and he traveled through the open field.

Whilst the stoic noble moved through the barracks of the eleventh division, Ichigo followed close behind, panning the scattering and disordered medical staff rushing to and fro to help all the wounded members of the twelfth squad. Byakuya, on the other hand, was barely aware of his surroundings and turned corners only from subconscious memory, his mind elsewhere. He was mulling over the events that transpired the current ones.

_'Voltaire...'_ He thought, knitting his brows together in speculation of the woman's words.

_"I hate it. I don't ever want to see it again. That face..." V lifted her head to meet Byakuya's concerned gaze as she continued. "When I pushed your hand from my face after you called me that name, the face you made was...gut wrenching. I hated it. I know I don't know who you are or what I really mean to you, but no one deserves to be rejected so bluntly. No one deserves to hear the words I spoke to you." V let her hand loosen around the noble slim arm. "When you looked at me so incredulously, so hurt...I felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest. Please, I don't really know what's happening to me, but I want to know why I feel this way when you're around me."_

_"What are you talking about?" Byakuya stared at the woman who sat before him. What the hell was going on?_

_"When you looked at me...when I saw you're face for the first time, my heart practically melted. I don't think I've ever had anyone who could make my heart a million miles a minute and stop at the same time. I don't understand why, but when you called me that name...when I heard your voice, something stirred in my chest..." She pulled her free hand up and over her pulmonary cavity. "I don't know for sure, but the way you make me feel, the things you do to make me feel that way and when you call me...Voltaire...I love it. I think, Kuchiki-sama, that I'm in lo-"_

"Oi, Byakuya!" The noble was yanked from his thoughts by the sound of his sun-kissed traveling companion.

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to look at the substitute. "What is it?"

"Where are we going?"

"To Squad 12." He continued in his path. "Your observation skills still seem extremely dull, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Why, you..." Ichigo's eye twitched in disdain.

They finally made their way to the entrance to the Shinigami Research and Development Insitute. Pushing the concrete shields open, both soul reapers made their way down the corridor to find Captain Kurotsuchi's main laboratory with a large, purple-foamed machine with winding copper wires and twisted silver pipes protruding from its core.

Ichigo gaped at the room's impossibly large-scale while Byakuya moved towards his piano-keyed computing system. Despite his pure hatred for the vulgar, blue man, the captain of the 6th was quite knowledgeable about the 12th's workshop. He pushed his custom chair to the side and peering at the gargantuan screen and all its data. Pressing select keys, he furrowed his brows at the information that crowded the screen. His eyes widened in realization.

"This is...!"

"Huh?" Ichigo looked over to the noble. "Byakuya, what's wrong?" He walked over to him. "Byakuya...?"

"There's no way...this cannot be...!"

* * *

'Byakuya...' V had long since left the Kuchiki manor. She made her way through the streets and alleyways back to the Seireitei. 'He left so suddenly...' She hung her head as her pale red locks hooded her emerald orbs. It wasn't until he tapped her on her shoulder that V noticed Ukitake had caught up to her.

"Is everything alright? How did it go?" He gave her a concerned look when sorrow danced across her sharp features. "V?"

"I...I didn't get to tell him. He had to leave."

"Ah, I see. That's right, there was an explosion in the 12th Division's barracks. The head-captain must've requested his presence." He raised a hand to his chin in thought.

"Yeah..." V's tone was weak and low.

"V," he placed a guiding hand on her chin and lifted her head to face his own. "Tell me what happened."

She was quiet for a moment before answering. "I don't...I don't really remember..." She tried to recall what happened while she was with Byakuya. Every moment of their conversation was completely blurry. "All I can remember is that when his servant burst in, he took off."

"What?" Jyuushiro gave her a serious look. "What do you mean 'you can't remember'?"

"I don't know..." Jyuushiro gripped V's arms and shouted at her.

"Tell me what you mean, Voltaire!"

"You're hurting me." V cringed under his vice-grip.

"What do you mean, Voltaire?! Are you saying you don't even remember meeting with Byakuya?!"

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Tell me!"

"I don't know!" She shouted back at him.

"Enough." A wirey, robot-like voice rang in both their ears, stealing their attention from each other. "Such loud voices are deplorable. Subjects should learn to quiet down and listen to the scientists." A white, slim forefinger pointed straight up as golden teeth erupted with face muscles stretching into a wide, nefarious grin.

"Kurotsuchi-taicho...? What are you doing here?" Jyuushiro's tight hold loosened around V's arms.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

* * *

**Sorry it took so long to update this, Red Cr0w! I had to juggle three other stories and school at the same time and when you deal with classes and homework and family issues all at the same time, it gets stressful and takes time to finish off loose ends, ya know? Anyway, REVIEW!**


	5. Fly Me Up On A Silver Wing

**Disclaimer: This story is made completely from request from a friend which means the OC, Voltaire, is not mine. I am writing this story for Red Cr0w and I do hope it is to their liking and to everyone else's as well. I do NOT own Bleach or Voltaire.  
**

**Summary:Byakuya Kuchiki, a stoic noble and Captain of the 6th Division, for all important pretenses, holds back any and all objects of his past from anyone. Aside from Hisana, not even Rukia knows about the life he spent with a woman whom claimed his heart for nearly 8 years. Even as he stands alone as the leader of the Kuchiki clan, his heart still aches for the person he truly loved. He is able to keep up this façade until he is sent with a recon team to Zaraki to investigate a sudden surge of reiatsu. When they arrive, what will Byakuya do when he finds the woman who disappeared all those years ago beaten and broken and without any memory of him at all?  
**

* * *

**Castle Of Glass**

**Chapter 5: Fly Me Up On A Silver Wing  
**

"Captain Kurotsuchi, what are you doing here?" Jyuushiro's tight hold loosened around V's arms.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" His honey yellow teeth made V grimace lightly.

"What do you mean?" Ukitake turned fully to the robot captain.

"I've come for Voltaire. I have certain...procedures I must conduct on her." Poured from his thin and painted lips.

"Procedures?" V gulped at the thought. The very idea made her skin crawl.

"Yes, that's right. You are quite an interesting girl and I'd like to find out what makes you tick."

"What are you talking about, Kurotsuchi? What procedures do you think you'll be doing?" Ukitake asked.

"I told you." His smile faded, he hated how clueless people can be. "She's an interesting specimen. I'd like to find out why my computers are malfunctioning when her DNA is introduced."

"When did you get any of my DNA?!" V involuntarily barked at the Egyptian-like man.

His nefarious grin returned. "You think the only one working on you while you were unconscious in the infirmary was the medical staff? How naïve."

"Kurotsuchi. Explain." His smile once again faded.

"I had my lieutenant collect blood samples from your bandages. Rest assured, subject, she did not defile you in any way."

"What the hell?! You don't just go around stealing people's old bandages! That's...that's just weird!" She shook lightly.

"Honestly. Subjects shouldn't complain so much. It's unsightly!" He reached for her wrist. "Now come with me, subject. We have work to do." He started to pull her in his direction only to have her resist.

"No! Get off me!" V tried to free herself.

"Stop resisting! It will only take a moment and you won't feel anything! Quit whining!" He scowled.

"No! Stop!" A strange, ominous almost suffocating feeling rose in V's chest. Something was wrong.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, wait a moment." Jyuushiro stopped the 12th Division leader. "Maybe you sh-"

"Jyuushiro!" A familiar voice caught the trio's attention.

"Ichigo-kun."

"Hey guys. Byakuya wanted me to tell you he found something in the computers in the Research and Development place."

"The fool is looking through my computers?!" Mayuri took off in the direction Ichigo came from not forgetting to take a final glance at the compelling specimen he was forced to leave behind.

"Ichigo-kun, what did he find?" Ukitake gathered the teen's attention after his eyes watched the fading form of the deranged captain.

"Ah, right." Ichigo turned back to the snowy-haired captain and his companion. "He said that when someone named Voltaire was found in the Rukongai, the collection of reishi surrounding her was from a different dimension altogether."

"What?!" Both Ukitake and V were left wide-eyed and gaping. "That can't be!" He turned to the smaller form that stood behind him and she flinched.

"Do you know anything about this?" He questioned.

"N-no...I don't no what's going on." V took a deep, shaky breath. "Why was I found _there_? Why does it matter if I can't remember talking to that man? What's hap-" Suddenly, V's eyes dilated, she heaved a deep sigh and she collapsed.

"Voltaire?! What's wrong?! Voltaire...?!"

* * *

_"...ire? ...ltaire? Hey, Voltaire!" A rough shaking woke the thin woman from a deep sleep. "Hey, are you alright?" A rooted tone flooded her senses._

_"Nnn...Byakuya?" Emerald orbs peeked through pale red eyelashes and up at a raven-haired, pale-faced man who towered over the body they belonged to._

_"You fell asleep." A light chuckle escaped his thins lips as the woman sat up and rubbed the sleep from her heavy eyes. Yawning she draped her out-stretched arms around Byakuya's neck and closed the distance between them._

_"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry..." Voltaire's tone was languid and slow as slim but strong arms returned her embrace._

_"It's fine. I just wasn't expecting you fall asleep so quickly." He smiled at her weak groan and second yawn. "Still sleepy?"_

_"A little..." She released the larger man from her lazy grasp and peered at his sharp features before returning his sweetened visage. "You look nice when you smile." She commented. "I like it."_

_"I may look nice," he repeated, "but _you_ are beautiful."_

_Voltaire's grin widened as her high cheeks grew to a rosy color. "Sh-shut up...!" She playfully pushed him away.  
_

_"Voltaire~!" He cupped her face with both hands and puckered his lips jokingly and forced them against her cheeks._

_Voltaire cracked in laughter and pushed him back. _

_"Knock it off, Byakuya! Quit it!" She giggled and went down with a 'thud' when he forced her to the ground. "What are you doing, baka?!" Her laughter faded when Byakuya gave her a calm but serious look. "B-Byakuya...?"_

_"I'm not lying, Voltaire...you are beautiful." Voltaire's blush deepened to a crimson tint. "I honestly don't think I've met anyone with a brighter smile." He leaned close enough to feel the breath leave her mouth. "And I know I will never meet someone as breathtaking as you ever again." He closed the distance between the two of them, catching her lips with his own before she was able to react._

_Almost immediately, she sunk into the depths that was Byakuya, captured by the essence that slowly encased her and surrounded them both. She moaned lightly into the kiss and laced her fingers into his loose, kenseiken-less midnight locks, tugging gently to signal a need to break for air._

_When he released her, his lips never left her skin. The thin webs traveled from her jawline down to her neck and, sucking lightly on the loose flesh, he left behind a darkened mark in his wake. Voltaire gripped the loose fabric that hung from his shoulders as he pecked the exposed skin between the mounds that rested beneath a disheveled kimono._

_"Byakuya..." She whispered. "Mmnnh..." When he raised his head to meet her eyes, his were not the only ones clouded with desire; with lust. _

_"Voltaire..." He pressed his lips against hers again._

_"We can't...not here..." She breathed._

_"I can't wait any longer." He spoke. "I haven't had you like this for 2 weeks. I'm sorry," he offered, "but I can't hold back right now." He kissed her again, this time more forcefully than before. He was growing impatient._

_"Wait...! Byakuya, w-we can't do this here!"  
_

_"I told you." He pushed his hands between their bodies and untied his obi earning an incredulous gasp from the woman who laid beneath him. "I can't wait any longer." He stole another hungry kiss before gently tugging open the kimono covering the prize he was anything but secretly wishing for. "I need you."_

_As he pulled the colored sash from around Voltaire's waist, the white robe fell open, revealing perfect plump mountains and pale toned skin._

_"Beautiful." He whispered._

_Taking in all that was presented before him, he tucked his hands beneath the lithe figure and pulled her up into his lap. She now straddled him and let her arms dangle around his neck. He stared into the forest green orbs that now shook in anticipation. She went to speak but stopped as the words wouldn't form. _

_"What's wrong?" He sensed her hesitation and stopped in his tracks. "Do you not want to?"_

_"N-no..! I want to, i-it's just...I...wanted to tell you..."_

_"What is it?" _

_"I-I..." She couldn't gather the strength enough to finish her sentence but the message was quite clear._

_Byakuya smiled sweetly. "It's enough." He said, closing his eyes._

_He lifted her so she put her weight on her crouched knees and opened his already loosened hakama to reveal and pulsing, throbbing member that ached for the woman who completely captivated him. He pulled away the fabric that still covered Voltaire's lower body. Positioning at her entrance, he gently pushed her hips down and plunged into her._

_"Ahh...AHH! B-Byahh..." She could barely form the words. He pulled her up and pushed her down once more. "AHH! Ngh! Byakuya!" He continuously pumped her, making her rise and fall on his leaking cock._

_"V-Voltaire..." He breathlessly called out to her._

_"B-Byakuya...i-it's so hard for me...!" Voltaire practically screamed his name as she grew closer and closer to the edge. "I can't...for much longer..."_

_Byakuya understood all to well what she was saying. He was nearing his climax and the continuous, deafening moans crawling out of the throat of his lover wasn't helping in keeping him from it. Finally, with just a few more plunges into the sweet darkness, they were both sent over the edge. Voltaire screamed his name, arched her back and dug her nails deep into the now exposed back of the man ravishing her._

_"Byakuya...!"_

* * *

"Will she be okay?" A snowy-haired captain asked the blond one who had recently taken over the 4th Division duties as medical staff.

"Dunno yet." He replied, sighing in defeat as he knew there was no real way of finding out until she woke back up. "She'll have ta wake up, and soon, so we can find that out." Shinji finished as he leaned against the door fame they stood in front of.

They both turned to the lavender-haired lieutenant inside the room when she called for them.

"Captain Hirako! She's talking!" He rushed in with Ukitake following close behind. They approached him just in time to hear her words, gaping simultaneously as they heard them.

"Nnngh...Byakuya...!"

* * *

**Took too long to update, I know but tests upon tests upon tests can really kill your motivation to write and causes some serious writer's black, ya know? REVIEW!**


	6. Past The Black Where The Sirens Sing

**Disclaimer: This story is made completely from request from a friend which means the OC, Voltaire, is not mine. I am writing this story for Red Cr0w and I do hope it is to their liking and to everyone else's as well. I do NOT own Bleach or Voltaire.  
**

**Summary:Byakuya Kuchiki, a stoic noble and Captain of the 6th Division, for all important pretenses, holds back any and all objects of his past from anyone. Aside from Hisana, not even Rukia knows about the life he spent with a woman whom claimed his heart for nearly 8 years. Even as he stands alone as the leader of the Kuchiki clan, his heart still aches for the person he truly loved. He is able to keep up this façade until he is sent with a recon team to Zaraki to investigate a sudden surge of reiatsu. When they arrive, what will Byakuya do when he finds the woman who disappeared all those years ago beaten and broken and without any memory of him at all?  
**

* * *

**Castle Of Glass**

**Chapter 6: Past The Black Where The Sirens Sing**

"Nnngh...Byakuya...!" A raspy pant escaped the slumbering woman, attracting the two observing captains.

"Voltaire...?" Ukitake called out quietly.

"She's still asleep." Hirako-taicho noticed as her previously knitted brows had begun to soften. "Looks like she's havin' a dream."

"Byakuya...!" Voltaire moaned audibly.

"A damn vivid one, too!" Shinji finished.

"It seems she's dreaming of Byakuya...do you think she's remembering something?" Jyuushiro asked the piano-teethed captain.

"Dunno. We'll have ta wait til she wakes up ta get any information. Looks ta me likes she doesn't wanna be woke up, though." Hirako replied, witnessing the rose-colored cheeks Voltaire sported. A wide grin erupted as another moan escaped Voltaire's lips.

"Bya...kuya..." She whispered, breathing deeply. "Aishteru yo...Byakuya..."

Both men and Isane gaped. Did they all just hear her say what they think they heard her say? Another deep breath and call of her lover's name drew them out of their incredulous shock and prompted Shinji to approach the sleeping woman and observe her vulnerable, agitated state.

"Hirako-taicho? What is it?" Jyuushiro stood behind the blond man and waited.

"It's nothing." Shinji replied, turning to leave. "I'll be back in about an hour, watch her til then and if she wakes up before I get back, come get me." A confirming nod lets the 5th captain depart, leaving the 4th's lieutenant and the captain of the 13th with, in the words of Kurotsuchi-taicho, an 'interesting specimen'.

* * *

**Shinigami Research and Development Institute Headquarters**

"Oi, Kurotsuchi! You in there?!" A loud crack against the 3 inch concrete doors rang through the Institute's corridors and into the main office. Another loud banging and shout for attention prompted Akon, lieutenant of the S.R.D.I. to answer, after a series of curses and groans of laziness.

"The hell do you _want_?" Akon growled, pushing the thick entrance open. "Oh, it's you, Hirako-taicho. What can I do for you?" His tone changed to a lightly irritated but respectful one.

"Is the robot here?" Akon scoffed at Shinji's nickname. Well, to be honest, Mayuri was slightly akin to an anthropomorphic cyborg. "I've got a couple of questions fer 'im and I don't feel like waitin'. Is he here?"

"The captain is in his room conducting reanimation experiments. I'll take you there but good luck gettin' in. He's been in there for a few hours with lieutenant Kurotsuchi without letting anybody in." The horned assistant explained, motioning for the older man to follow his lead.

"If that guy stays cooped up fer too long, he'll start sproutin' 'shrooms." Shinji commented.

"Right?" They stopped at two steel doors, Akon pressed the large red communication button above a speaker and the two awaited a response. After a moment passed, then another, then another and then another, simultaneous groans of frustration flooded the hall.

"Sorry, captain. Looks like he still busy. If you want to come back later..." He suggested.

"Dammit! I don't have time for this!" Shinji huffed, pushed Akon aside and held down the button before barking into the speaker. "Kurotsuchi, answer me, dammit! I don't have time for this! I need all the information you have on Voltaire. Now!"He released the button and waited to no avail. "Kurotsuchi, you fuckin' idiot, if I don't have what I need, her memories will never return!" He released it again and waited for another silent moment. "Kuros-

"Enough of your incessant babbling Hirako. Nemu will be out momentarily."

With those words, the barrier slid open to reveal the assistant to Mayuri Kurotsuchi holding a small stack of papers.

"Is this it?" Shinji questioned, taking the thin collection in his hands. "It's not that much."

"It is all the data Mayuri-sama has acquired. If she consented to experimentation, there would be more information. However, it seems she has lost consciousness and you haven't the slightest idea why."

"Tch!" Hirako scoffed at her insult.

"It seems the next encounter will be one where the subject's experimentation will be sanctioned." Nemu bowed and returned to the darkened room as the doors slammed shut behind her.

Shinji growled lightly before exhaling heavily and taking his leave. "Thanks for the help, Akon." He waved his thin palm nonchalantly behind him as his figure slowly disappeared in the length of the hall.

"Right." Akon sighed and headed back to the main office room.

* * *

**Squad 5 Captain's Quarters**

Shinji shifted through the sheets and sighed in frustration. He flipped through the last two sheets repeatedly, knitting his brows together when he noticed a gap in the description section on the front of the second page. Where the information stopped on that page, a large symbol was inserted, obviously taken from a papyrus-like cloth. Shinji inspected the paper in front of the second, it was shown in the section for personal history that there were many sentences and single words blacked out.

"What the hell is this?" He spread out the sheets across his oak desk as sifted through them in an attempt to find any more anomalies.

When he spotted a paper with almost every line blacked out, he read what was visible.

_DAY 17, 07:43 AM_

_SUBJECT 43685, STATION 7, CELL 9, BED 6_

"Subject 43685? The hell?" Shinji continued reading.

_SUBJECT 43685 SCHEDULED FOR _ PROCEDURE 4592: _TO DISCOVER THE __

__ PROCEDURE COMMENCED _/_/_ AT _:_ AM, TO BE CONDUCTED BY __

_SUBJECT 43685 _ RESPOND TO PROCEDURE 4592, ABRUPT __

__ PROCEDURE SCHEDULED FOR _:_ AM, TOMORROW_

_DAY 18, 09:27 AM_

_SUBJECT 43685, STATION 7, CELL 9, BED 6_

_SUBJECT 43685 SCHEDULED FOR _ PROCEDURE 4596: _ IN RESPONSE TO THE _ REACTION OF _ PROCEDURE 4592_

__ PROCEDURE COMMENCED _/_/_ AT _:_ AM, TO BE CONDUCTED BY __

_SUBJECT 43685 _ RESPOND TO PROCEDURE 4596, ABRUPT __

_DAY 18, 23:51 PM_

_SUBJECT 43685, STATION 7, CELL 9, BED 6_

_SUBJECT 43685 DEFECTED 2 HOURS AGO, INVESTIGATION LED BY __

_DAY 27 , 17:15 PM_

_SUBJECT 43685, STATION 7, CELL 9, BED 6_

_SUBJECT 43685 HAS _ BEEN FOUND, _ OTHER SUBJECTS, SUCH AS _, _, _, AND _ HAVE ALSO DEFECTED_

__ LEADS, EXPERIMENTS AT A STANDSTILL, _ HAS NOT CONDUCTED ANY MORE PROCEDURES ON ANY SUBJECTS SINCE SUBJECT 43685'S DEFECTION_

_DAY 32_

__ HAS DEFECTED, ALL _ HAVE STOPPED PROCEDURES._

_THIS WILL BE THE LAST ENTRY_

_PATIENT ZERO-SUBJECT 43685, HAS RETURNED_

__ HOSPITAL WING EVACUATED_

_LOCATION UNKNOWN_

_SUBJECT 43685 HAS RETURNED_

_SUBJECT 43685 HAS RETURNED_

_SUBJECT 43685 HAS RETURNED_

_SUBJECT 43685 HAS RETURNED_

_**VOLTAIRE HAS RETURNED**_

"What the fuck?" Shinji read the last three words, took up the sheet at the top of his newly formed stack and gaped. "Voltaire is...?!"

* * *

**Sorry I know its a short chapter but i think this cliffhanger is a good one, leaves ya wonderin' what the hell is going on and what all the 'SUBJECT 43685' is about. Its getting good and the next chapter will be longer maybe 2,500-3,000 words. REVIEW!**


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